title: identifying design elements in public spaces

Title: Identifying design elements in public spaces conducive to the engagement of youth in

social interaction

Author:

Suparna Saha, Assistant Professor, Department of Planning and Architecture, National Institute of

Technology (NIT), Rourkela, India

Abstract: The role of public spaces in generating and encouraging interaction among people has been

established by various studies. However, in the present urban cities, social media is gradually

taking over the role of public spaces, in serving as a platform for interaction. The allure of the

virtual world is driving our youth towards an introverted indoor based lifestyle, who prefer to stay

detached from the realities of the outdoor world. Considering the present context, this study aims

at identifying features or elements in the built environment that can attract the youth to spend time

in public spaces and engage in interaction with the people they meet in these spaces. Using open

ended discussion with, and behavior observations of young adults in public spaces in NIT

Rourkela campus, the study analyses how they perceive and respond to the elements in the public

spaces. The findings shall help in planning and design of public spaces in cities to encourage and

engage the youth in outdoor social interactions.

Keywords:

Social Interaction, Public space

Prepared by Suparna Saha

Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020

Title of presentation

Identifying design elements in public spaces conducive to the engagement of

youth in social interaction

Author and presenter

Suparna SahaAssistant Professor

Department of Planning and Architecture

National Institute of Technology Rourkela, India

Presented at

4th Annual Research on Cities Summit (ARCS)

Bhubaneswar, India



AIM OF THE STUDY

Identification of features in public or common spaces that appeal to young adults and lure them

to spend more time in real world interaction with people, rather than spending time indoors in the

virtual world.



Study Methodology

The study is conducted using focus group discussion with 17 students, pursuing Bachelor of Architecture

from the Department of Planning and Architecture at NIT Rourkela.

The students belonged to 18-20 years of age.

The survey was conducted in two major parts.

The first part of the survey involved the following:

• Questions identifying the public spaces which the students preferred for social interaction in the

campus

• Open-ended questions on identification of the aspects in each of these spaces, which they perceived to

act as enablers of interaction and act as positive influencers in attracting students to spend time in these

spaces.

• Identification of additional features which they felt would improve their experience of these public spaces

for encouraging and improving social interaction.

The second part included:

• A structured questionnaire, where the students were asked to rank the public spaces, identified by them in

the first part, in their order of preference (1 being most preferred and 14 least preferred)



Study of interactive spaces in NIT Rourkela




1. Tea stall in open space with banyan tree

• Semi-paved area with an open

space adjacent to it.

• The cemented seating constructed

along the circumference of the

banyan tree provides a naturally

shaded seating.

• The location of a tea stall in the

vicinity of the tree makes it a

lucrative spot for social

interaction.

• Roughly equidistant from all the

departments.

Photo credits: Author




• A landscaped area in front of the lecture hall complex,

where students wait in between classes.

• The presence of a “Nescafe” stall acts as a facilitator for

inviting students to the space.

• Though the space is not shaded, students seem to have a

moderate preference for it because it provides a large space

for student gathering.

2. Lecture Complex Annex (LA) Lawns





3. Culvert along roads

Accidental seating spaces along the way to departments from hostels.





• An open space with shops along the road with hostels on both sides.

• Students visit this place for the food stalls, cycle repairing and

laundry services, and often engage in casual interaction with friends.

• The positive influencers that were observed here were the presence

of a tree which provided shade, the view of the open ground and

close proximity to hostels.

4. Backpost

• An array of shops, which includes a barber shop, grocery, amul milk

parlor, an ATM, etc.

• It is located within the area which has all the hostels and has green

spaces and trees which encourages people to gather and spend time.

5. Amenity shops near Amul Parlour





• Formally organized space for student

activities, where students participate in

group activities like music, dance

programs, and dramatics, etc.

• This space is not a very desired option

for social interaction among students

because of its lack of space for large

student gathering and the formal nature

of the activities that are performed within

it.

• Lack of freedom to perform activities of

choice or simply hangout with friends.

6. Student Activity Centre





7. Stairs and portico in front of department entrance

• These are accidental spaces for student gathering.

• Students wait in the stairways and the portico in between classes.

• The portico is shaded and spills over to a lawn





The open space in front of the “Nescafe stall” is enjoyed by the

students because of the sense of openness that the space

provides to them along with adequate spaces for bicycle

parking.

8. Open space in front of Nescafe stall

• Affordable, student-friendly restaurant located within the

hostel area.

• The absence of walls provides an uninterrupted visual

continuity with the open spaces.

9. Hexagon restaurant





The additional features which the students felt would improve their experience with these spaces

and encourage more interaction were:

• Covered seating in public spaces,

• Free wi-fi,

• Provision for cycle parking,

• Regular maintenance, and

• Control of stray dogs in open spaces

Additional facilities




Mode

based on analysis of

ranked data

Banyan tree which provides covered seating;

closer to the departments making it a common gathering space for students from

different departments,

affordable tea and snacks stalls in the space;

scope for inter-departmental interaction

Naturally shaded area with informal and affordable food stalls; Amenity shops like

laundry and bicycle repair shop;

View of the open ground

Proximity to hostels

Open seating space for waiting in-between classes

Large space for large group of student gathering

4 Student Activity Centre Indoor Space for organized activities or events 13,14

Affordable tea and snacks stall;

Adequate space for bicycle parking;

open space that allows free movement and beautiful open view of the surrounding

6 Amenity shops near Amul Parlour Mixed Amenity shops; ATM; space for informal gathering; located in the hostel area 11

7 Stairs and portico in front of TIIR building Accidental space for waiting in-between classes 3

5 Open space in front of Nescafe stall Outdoor 13

1

2 Back-post Outdoor 2

3 Lecture Annex (LA) Complex Lawns Outdoor 2

Sl.No. Spaces Type of space (Indoor/

Outdoor/ Mixed)

Features that are perceived to act as positive influencers

1 Tea stall in open space with banyan tree Outdoor




Mode

based on analysis of

ranked data

8 Culvert near Naga pond Outdoor Natural view of waterbody 14

9 Hexagon restaurant Indoor but with visual

connectivity with outdoor

Affordable restaurant with visual connectivity with the roads and open spaces

outside; located within the hostel area

4,8

10 Hostel Mess Indoor Organised space for meeting friends and students from other departments during

breakfast, lunch or dinner

12

11 Hostel Canteens Indoor Organised space providing opportunities for meeting friends and students from inter

and intra departments

8

12 Hostel TV Rooms Indoor Organised space for spending time with meeting friends and students from inter and

intra departments

10,12,13

13 Hostel Corridors Indoor Accidental, in-between, space for interaction 11

14 Indoor sports facilities inside hostel Indoor Organised space for spending time with meeting friends and students from inter and

intra departments

7,14

Sl.No. Spaces Type of space (Indoor/

Outdoor/ Mixed)

Features that are perceived to act as positive influencers




Tea stall in open space with banyan tree

Image credits: Author

NESCAFE

Backpost

Hexagon Restaurant



Inferences from study

• Preference for open spaces that allow for unhindered visual connectivity with the surrounding.

• Small, intimate open spaces which provide opportunity for contact with both known and unknown

people (here signified by inter and intra departmental students) in a natural setting.

• A desire for wi-fi facilities in these spaces that enables them to watch movies or listen to music with

their friends in open spaces.

• The lack of freedom to perform activities of choice in formally organized spaces for interaction can be

interpreted as the reason for lower preference of organized spaces like Student Activity Centre, Hostel

Canteen, etc.



Inferences from study

The criteria for selecting a public space for interaction can be summarized as :

• Presence of green spaces

• Flexibility in design to accommodate various types of activities and which can in turn provide freedom to the users.

• Opportunity to causally hang-out in natural informal setting

• For a public space to attract young adults, they should be adjacent to residences, and areas commonly visited by them.

• Associated with affordable food service and other amenity stores.

• Provide sense of openness either by being located in an open space or through provision of visual continuity with

exterior spaces.

• Provide covered, comfortable seating.

• Have internet (wi-fi) connections.

• Regularly maintained.



Acknowledgement

The author thanks the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela, India for providing her with the

support required for the present paper. The author also expresses her gratitude to the students of the

Department of Planning and Architecture, NIT Rourkela, India for participating in the survey process

conducted for the present paper.



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title: identifying design elements in public spaces

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